It appears Thanksgiving travelers in the Capital Region will catch a break Wednesday as a large coastal storm is now predicted to consist of mostly rain, not snow.

Meteorologist Joe Villani with the National Weather Service in Albany said the precipitation will be significant, possibly 1 to 2 inches. But because of warmer temperatures accompanying the storm, the precipitation should be mostly rain, according to Sunday's weather models.

But travelers going to western or northern New York could hit a nasty mix of sleet and snow on Wednesday as a cold air mass from the North has greater impact there, said Luigi Meccariello, also a meteorologist with Albany's National Weather Service. Rain is predicted for all areas east of Albany.

The storm, which will move up the Eastern seaboard from the South, will begin late Tuesday and will be a rain/snow mix here at first. But temperatures will warm overnight into the 40s on Wednesday, and it will likely rain throughout the day. More will be known Monday as it gets closer to the weather event.

"Travel will be impacted. But driving through rain is a lot easier than driving through snow," Villani said.

The AAA has said that travel will be heaviest on Wednesday, with more than a third of 43.4 million travelers either driving or flying the day before Thanksgiving this year.

The large storm was making its way through Oklahoma and Texas Sunday, leaving a wintry mess of sleet, rain and snow, causing multiple fatalities in car accidents. But it was expected that the severe weather in the Southwest would be over by Monday.

As far as Wednesday's rain in the Capital Region, flooding concerns are minimized because of earlier dry conditions and the ground not being frozen.

But Villani said that anytime rain totals are over 2 inches, flood watches and warnings could follow.